After being credited in every single The Legend of Zelda series entry (well, almost) since inception, Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto is officially nowhere to be found in the credits for The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom in a series first.
First spotted by GoNintendo and separately confirmed by IGN, Miyamoto's name isn't anywhere in the credits for Echoes of Wisdom, despite him being listed in just about every single other mainline Zelda game to date.
In fact, the only Zelda or Zelda-adjacent games he's been missing from prior to this (per MobyGames) are clear spin-offs and series odd ducks. He's not in Crypt of the Necrodancer: Cadence of Hyrule, for instance, nor is he listed in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (though he is listed in the original Hyrule Warriors as a special thanks). And Miyamoto is also nowhere to be found in either early CD-i Zelda game, Zelda's Adventure or The Wand of Gamalon.
But in all those cases, it's pretty understandable why the series creator wasn't especially involved. They were all developed entirely by outside studios, in genres and styles that are arguably not "core Zelda." But Echoes of Wisdom feels different. Even though it's co-developed by Grezzo, the outside studio worked in partnership with Nintendo EPD. And even though Zelda's the protagonist and the gameplay's a bit different, there's really no arguing that it's not a "mainline Zelda game" by every possible metric.
Rather, this seems to be further evidence of Miyamoto stepping back a bit from game development. Though he told us earlier this year he's not retiring anytime soon, Miyamoto has been more focused on "finding unique opportunities for Nintendo" such as the company's efforts in film and amusement parks. And we've seen further evidence that's happening as his role has diminished on other recent game projects, too. After years of being credited as a producer on just about every major Nintendo game possible, Miyamoto's more recent credits on games like Princess Peach: Showtime! and Super Mario Bros. Wonder just list him as a "supervisor." It's indicative that he's increasingly handing the controls over to others at Nintendo.
GoNintendo also notes that Zelda veteran Takashi Tezuka was also seemingly not involved in Echoes of Wisdom, though Tezuka was not listed for Tears of the Kingdom, either, and seems to be similarly taking on a reduced role on the series in recent years.
Tezuka and Miyamoto's legacies on the series are going strong even if they're stepping back, though. We gave Echoes of Wisdom a 9/10 in our review, calling it "far more than some second-tier spinoff, combining the expertly crafted dungeons and item progression you’d expect from a 2D Zelda with the wild creativity provided by Tears of the Kingdom." As you work your way through the latest Zelda adventure, check out our wiki guides and our interactive map for help finding everything from heart pieces to every Echo in the game.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
